The United States Department of Agriculture is probably one of the last federal agencies you’d expect to request a substantial amount, if any, of firearms, but that’s precisely what it did last week.

In a solicitation posted on the government’s Federal Business
Opportunities website on May 7, the Agriculture Department
requested an unknown number of submachine guns. The department
also states it wants to get its hands on weapons with night
sights in the front and the rear and magazines with a 30-round
capacity.

The solicitation, which also calls for the submachine guns to be
lightweight and feature slings, says:

Exactly why the USDA wants or needs to acquire multiple
submachine guns is unclear, as the solicitation does not go into
much detail regarding the purpose. RT attempted to reach both of
the individuals listed as contacts on the USDA solicitation to
learn more about the request, but was unable to immediately
obtain a response from either.

The request has captured the attention of many conservative,
pro-gun websites, though, which have raised questions about it.

One possible explanation for the request could be that the
weapons would be used by the law enforcement division of the
United States Forest Service, which falls under the jurisdiction
of the USDA. The Forest Service is not listed specifically in the
text of the solicitation – again, nothing is mentioned that could
be related to the ultimate purpose of the acquisition – causing
some to fret over the possibility that the guns would be used
elsewhere.

"[The USDA] will no doubt attempt to justify their purchase
of military hardware by explaining that they conduct criminal
investigations and may need to do armed raids,” wrote Bob
Owens at the website Bearing Arms. “This is part of a trend
to arm every branch of federal government, whether the individual
agency has a legitimate need for a paramilitary force or
not."

There has been concern recently over the purchasing decisions of
government agencies, particularly the Department for Homeland
Security, which critics have claimed buys excessive amounts of
ammunition. A report by the Government Accountability Office in
January, however, dismissed such concern, saying ammunition
purchases by DHS have actually gone down since 2009.

Meanwhile, earlier this week a journalist at WND made headlines
for suggesting the State Department is shopping for
large amounts of explosives and detonator devices. Solicitations
for explosives were also posted on the FBO website, but when
asked to comment on the requests an agency official laughed off
the question, saying “I’m not sure what you’re looking
for.”